[attr="class","rostername"]@bronze

[attr="class","rostersub"]a [TWENTY-SIX] year old [TRAINER] from [BLACKTHORN CITY]

[attr="class","rostercat"]THADDEUS NATHANIEL WINTERS

[attr="class","rostercat"]26

[attr="class","rostercat"]MALE

[attr="class","rostercat"]HETEROSEXUAL

[attr="class","rostercat"]TRAINER

[attr="class","rostercat"]DRAGON, STEEL

[attr="class","rostercat2"]Bronze likes to describe himself as a simple man - not too complex, not a lot going on upstairs. He’s not entirely correct. He’s something of a contradiction, at times. A very easy going sort that is perfectly content to take life easy and sprawl out on a grassy bank on a sunny day, he’s calm, soft spoken and polite.

However, when he’s not taking time out to relax, he’s...Well. Driven, focused, determined - take your pick. When Bronze sets his mind on something, very little can stand in his way. He is stubborn to the point it can be maddening to deal with, and proud enough that it can be an unfortunate combination. Vengeful, pessimistic and with a tendency to be skeptical about people in general, he’s nonetheless one of the first people to offer to help a stranger out, to give people a chance to prove themselves, and can be surprisingly empathetic. Cross him, though, or do something he doesn’t like, and you’ll find that he can be very cold, direct and aloof indeed.

Having grown up very much as a big brother, he hasn’t really been able to shake the habits he’s formed from a lifetime of looking out for his little sister. He despises bullies and isn’t shy about getting physical about expressing such. He likes to encourage people to be their best, but doesn’t baby them - no point in doing something for someone when you can help them do it for themselves, after all.

Overall, he’s a pretty pleasant guy, if a bit strange, and though he takes getting used to, he’s one of the most solid friends you could ever ask for - providing you can get past the various difficulties involved in reaching that level of trust and intimacy.

[attr="class","rostercatsub2"]PERSONALITY

[attr="class","rostercat2"]He remembers the night that defined him. The silence, the preternatural quiet he shattered with every gasping breath, every pounding footfall, the crack of broken branches as he shoved through them and they tore at him in turn. He remembers the wild and frantic panic that sent his heart hammering too fast, too hard, that forced adrenaline to surge through his system, turning everything to a disorientating blend of painfully sharp clarity and disjointed blur. His throat, ragged and hoarse from screaming out his little sister’s name, each successive shout tinged with mounting desperation, burgeoning dread - and anger. A soul-deep rage so potent that it felt as if his very bones would crack under the strain of it, a helpless, frustration that they had given up.

Drucilla had been born mute, something that his parents had struggled with since day one. He’d never seen the issue, really - so she couldn’t speak, big deal. Plenty of people couldn’t speak, couldn’t hear, couldn’t a whole lot of things, and got on with life all the same. The way they talked about it, you’d think she was doing it on purpose, trying to make their life harder for them, that the stress was too much, that they wished she could just talk, as if that would solve their problems.

She must have overheard them the night she went missing. Maybe she’d overheard it one too many times and needed to get away from it. He couldn’t blame her - who would want to stay where they’re not wanted? Still. Blackthorn wasn’t exactly the kind of place for a little girl to get lost in at night, alone. They’d called the authorities and organised a search party, to no avail. Bronze had only gone back with them because they’d dragged him. Same for the second night. And the third. The fourth night they’d been advised to let the authorities to handles it, to stay at home and try to rest, that they were doing all they could. Even that young, he knew what that meant; They’d given up. Written her off as a lost cause, probably relieved that they didn’t have to deal with her any longer.

So he’d snuck out and went looking by himself. He wasn’t stupid, far from it - He’d brought a flashlight, spare batteries, water, some food, and a compass. No pokemon to protect him, but there wasn’t anything he could do about that, so off he went.

Four hours after he left, he was deeper in the local wilderness than he’d ever been, and growing tired, yet the thought of giving up hadn’t even crossed his mind. He would find Dro and bring her home. There was simply no alternative. Well, except getting eaten or dying of exposure. He’d been just about to sit down to take a short rest when he caught a glimpse of purple- Drucilla's favourite colour, the exact shade of her Gengar onesie. He shot up and took off at a dead run, calling out her name as uncaring branches whipped at his face and throat, heedless of the pain.

The chase was a tense one. Partially due to the obvious looming terror of being attacked in the wild, far from help, but also in part because why was she running from him. Did she think that he wanted her gone too? The very thought had caused a fresh pain to bloom within his breast that had nothing to do with the long night’s exertion. Eventually, after an unknown time chasing fleeting glimpses of her - it had to be her, it had to be - he came upon a fallen tree that created a natural shelter from the elements. Darkness’ hold on the world was beginning to loosen, shades of light seeping in to allow sufficient visibility that the flashlight was no longer necessary. He’d seen movement, something entering the overhang, but there was something...Off about it. Had that been a tail?

His approach had been wary, a tenuous balance of excitement, caution and nerves long since frayed raw. Crouching before the entrance had revealed a sleeping Drocilla, in her Gengar onesie, much dirtied and tattered from the exposure to the elements, but blessedly the girl herself seemed none the worse for wear, barring a few scratches and bruises. He’d been almost too overwhelmed with relief to move, tears welling up in his eyes as he struggled to catch his breath, but even so it had taken him only a few moments to notice that they were not the only ones sheltering beneath the mighty tree’s protective bulk.

A Zorua was sitting beside Drucilla, cool as you like, staring at him unblinkingly with an almost regal air, despite its diminutive size. It did not seem surprised to see him here, rather, it seemed..Expectant. Had it led him there? He’d heard stories of the little pokemon being able to appear as other thing, even people, so it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to think it had appeared as Drucilla in order to lead him to her. He’d inclined his head gratefully and offered his thanks with both gently spoken words and half of his remaining food, keeping the other half for his sister.

He’d woken Drucilla, had a tearful reunion, fed her and made sure she was okay, then set about making their way back with the aid of the compass and in the company of the Zorua. When they’d eventually gotten back home, their parents were furious with him for running off, until they saw who was in his company. The whole thing blew over without much incident, but he could tell that Drucilla knew what their parents thought, now, and wouldn’t be in a hurry to forget it. He couldn’t blame her.

The Zorua stayed with them, and she proved to be a very good friend to him. He called her Valia, and she called him Bronze, due to his habit of collecting pieces of the metal and incorporating it into his outfits.Dru thought this was both cute and amusing, so it stuck.

Over the years, he did his best to protect her and help her in whatever way he could. He enrolled in martial arts classes, learned sign language and when he was old enough, got a part time job. He saved for months and, eventually, managed to be able to afford a service pokemon, a Chatot that could help her communicate more effectively than she would on her own. She’d been ecstatic about that, even though it took a while for the two of them to work out a way to translate that was comfortable for both of them. She’d been less pleased when he’d terrorised the occasional idiot who’d upset her enough to make her cry, but she’d gotten over that.

Eventually, though, she was big enough, bold enough, and old enough that he couldn’t really justify sticking around to look after her anymore - she didn’t need him, which...Honestly he had mixed feelings about, but that was his overall goal, really. She’d been accepted into the school of her choice, she was confident and passionate and pretty damned tough, even by his standards. He was proud.

Dru pushed for him to finally get his life started, and it didn’t take too much persuading for him to book his way to Inset. Fresh region for a fresh start, and if he was a bit old to be starting his pokemon journey, well. So what?

[attr="class","rostercatsub2"]HISTORY